New Poll Reveals Just How Much Americans Fear Sharks

Introduction

Despite low shark attack rates, many people still fear shark attacks to an incredible extent. In fact, some people are so terrified of sharks that they refuse to swim in the ocean. While shark attacks are serious and threatening occurrences, they rarely happen. In fact, humans are more likely to die from drowning, heart attack, or car accidents than they are from a violent shark attack. Discover how many Americans fear shark attacks and find out which shark species are most dangerous.

Dangers of Sharks

Did you know that between 30% and 50% of Americans are terrified of sharks? While shark attacks are uncommon, sharks do pose several dangers to human life. However, many of these dangers are dependent on certain species of sharks. In fact, of the over 400 species of sharks that exist, many are harmless to humans. On the other hand, some sharks are extremely dangerous. Humans should watch for the big three sharks that pose the most danger to humans. The big three are great white sharks, tiger sharks, and bull sharks.

Great White Shark Dangers

Great white sharks may grow up to 21 feet in length and weigh between 1,500 and 4,000 pounds. However, some great white sharks have weighed greater than 5,000 pounds. Great whites are responsible for the most shark attacks on Earth, making them extremely dangerous. The species may be found in coastal waters or the open ocean, depending on their feeding patterns.

Perhaps the most menacing feature of the great white shark is its rows of 300 serrated teeth, which are extremely sharp. These teeth can easily rip apart the flesh of a victim, leading to blood loss and a shock state. In addition, the bite force of the great white measures 4,000 PSI, which is one of the most powerful in the world. When a great white attacks a human, it is usually an accident; the great white shark has mistaken the human for prey. As a result, the great white will most likely retreat from the attack once it discovers the victim to be human.

Tiger Shark Dangers

Tiger sharks typically attain a maximum length of 18 feet and weigh between 850 and 1,400 pounds. While the tiger shark is smaller than the great white shark, a tiger shark attack may result in a more tragic loss than an attack from a great white shark. Tiger sharks have a diverse diet; they will eat practically anything they come across, including bits and pieces of trash. Therefore, while tiger sharks do not have a taste for human flesh, they may not abandon an attack once they discover the victim to be human. Rather, they may consume the human anyways, as their food preferences are practically limitless.

Thus, tiger sharks are extremely dangerous to human life. Of the 138 tiger shark attacks reported, 36 resulted in the death of the victim. Some features that make the tiger shark particularly menacing include sharp, serrated teeth and bite force. The bite force of the tiger shark measures 6,000 pounds per square centimeter. While the tiger shark’s bite force is not as powerful as that of the great white shark, this species still poses incredible threats to human life.

Bull Shark Dangers

Bull sharks are much smaller than both tiger sharks and great white sharks. However, they can be just as threatening for several reasons. Bull sharks weigh between 210 and 290 pounds, on average. In addition, they may measure between 11.8 and 13 feet. The teeth of the bull shark measure around one inch and are extremely powerful. Furthermore, the bull shark’s bite force measures around 1,350 PSI, which is impressive for a shark so much smaller than its most-dangerous counterparts.

Bull sharks are extremely dangerous for two primary reasons. For one, bull sharks have poor vision. To locate their prey, they use a bump-and-bite technique, where they bump prey and then attack. The bump-and-bite technique is highly dangerous during a shark attack on a human because it means that the shark may circle back several times to re-attack the victim.

The second reason for the bull shark’s incredible danger is its ability to navigate up rivers. Bull sharks can survive in both saltwater and freshwater. Therefore, some bull sharks have been discovered in rivers, such as the Amazon River. When a bull shark navigates up a river, it is in closer proximity to human life. Thus, bull sharks are one of the most dangerous shark species due to their ability to infiltrate freshwater sources.  

Top 3 Most Dangerous Shark Species: A Comparison

How Much Do Americans Fear Sharks?

According to a recent poll by YouGov, around 30% of Americans fear sharks a great deal while 24% fear sharks a moderate amount. On the other hand, 15% of people polled have no fear of these formidable predators. In addition, 35% of the people polled from the South feared sharks a great deal, making up the largest category of those from a certain region that feared sharks.

However, the smallest geographical category for those that feared sharks were people from the Midwest at 24%. The data makes sense, as people in the South are in greater proximity to the coast, where sharks reside. On the other hand, Midwesterners have less to fear, as they are not close to the ocean. Consequently, 19% of people from the Midwest did not, which made up the largest category of those that did not fear sharks from a specific region of the U.S. The Southerners, though, made up the smallest category of those that had no fear of sharks at 13%.

It also seems that females fear sharks more than males do. In fact, 33% of female respondents feared sharks a great deal while only 26% of male respondents feared sharks a great deal. By comparison, 13% of female respondents did not fear sharks, and 17% of males polled also had no fear of sharks. Thus, it appears that males do not fear sharks at a higher rate than females.

Furthermore, Democrats seem to fear sharks more than Republicans, as 38% of Democrat respondents feared sharks a great deal. On the other hand, only 31% of Republicans feared sharks a great deal. Of the Republican respondents, 15% did not fear sharks at all, and 11% of the Democrats polled had no fear of sharks. Thus, Republicans fear sharks at a lower rate than Democrats.

Finally, people aged 30 to 44 years old have the greatest fear of sharks, as 33% of respondents in this age range feared sharks a great deal. Following close behind, though, were people aged 65 and older, of whom 32% feared sharks a great deal. Oddly enough, the age group that feared sharks the least was also those aged 65 and older. In fact, 19% of respondents aged 65 and older did not fear sharks at all, and this age group made up the largest category of those that did not fear sharks.

Other Poll Results

While the YouGov poll claims that only 30% of Americans fear sharks a great deal, other polls have published different findings. One poll from 2015 claimed that over half of the American population feared sharks a great deal and that nearly 40% of them were too scared to swim in the ocean due to possible shark presence. Like the YouGov poll, this poll showed that women were more likely to be terrified of sharks than men and that older people were more likely to fear sharks than young people.

However, one finding in the poll from 2015 did not align with the findings of the YouGov poll. The region most afraid of sharks in the 2015 poll was the Northeast while the region least afraid of sharks was the South. On the other hand, those living in the South were more scared to swim in the ocean than those in the Northeast in the 2015 poll.

One might believe that the region with the greatest fear of sharks–the Northeast–would correlate with a decreased willingness to swim in the ocean, as demonstrated by the South. Perhaps people that live in the Northeast moved there to avoid the possibility of swimming with sharks on the Atlantic Coast or in the Gulf of Mexico. For the Southerners, though, the possibility of meeting a shark is much more likely, making respondents in this region less likely to swim in the ocean.

Despite Americans’ fear of sharks, they seem to agree that sharks are valuable creatures and should be protected. In fact, 82% of respondents in the 2015 poll believed that great white sharks play a vital role in ocean ecosystems, and 73% thought that people should protect sharks from being killed or hunted. In addition, the people most willing to protect and recognize the value of sharks were women, Midwesterners, and people living in the Northeast.

Shark Attacks on Humans

Sharks usually do not prefer human flesh as a part of their diet. In fact, most sharks that attack humans will retreat after discovering that their victim is human. So why do sharks attack humans? For one, sharks are curious, and they may approach or attack humans out of curiosity. Secondly, sharks often mistake humans for other objects or prey, such as seals. When a surfer or swimmer floats on the ocean’s surface, sharks below may mistake this person for a seal. When the shark goes to attack the human, they quickly realize their mistake and retreat.

However, some sharks, such as the tiger shark, may not retreat from an attack after discovering the victim is human. Tiger sharks are especially dangerous because their diet is broad; they eat anything and everything. Thus, this shark species may consume the entire human body without forethought.

Finally, sharks usually attack humans when they feel threatened or have been provoked to do so. What’s the best way to avoid a shark attack? Leave sharks alone. Remember, sharks do not enjoy the taste of human flesh, and they are not out to get you. This does not mean that people shouldn’t be cautious, though, as shark attacks are serious. Therefore, it’s important to know how shark attacks happen and the dangers of certain sharks to ensure safety.

Types of Shark Attacks

Three primary types of shark attacks exist and understanding them may aid swimmers and surfers in protecting themselves. The first attack technique is called the hit and run. During a hit-and-run shark attack, the shark will ambush a victim, take a bite, and leave quickly. These types of attacks are sudden and frightening, but they can be survived.

The second attack method is the bump and bite. The bump-and-bite method is likely the most terrifying type of attack, and the bump-and-bite is often used by bull sharks. During a bump and bite attack, a shark will bump a victim, an action that helps it locate its prey. Then, the shark will circle back and attack a victim, perhaps repeatedly until there is nothing left. This type of attack is intense and may prove fatal.

Finally, the sneak attack is the third shark attack technique, and sneak attacks do not follow a certain pattern. Rather, sneak attacks usually occur when a shark ambushes its victim, biting it multiple times. There is no warning of a sneak attack; it just happens suddenly. The shark may circle back and attack again, or it may leave after the first few bites. Overall, all three types of shark attacks are surely terrifying, and people should be able to distinguish between attacks in case they happen to become shark attack victims.

Shark Attack Statistics

Did you know that the chances of dying in a shark attack are 1 in 3.748 million? That’s right, humans have a greater chance of dying from a dog attack (1 in 53,843) than a shark attack. In the year 2022, 32 provoked shark attacks on humans occurred, and 57 unprovoked bites resulted from shark interactions with humans. In addition, these cases all occurred in the United States. Furthermore, the people most likely to be attacked by sharks are surfers or those involved in board sports. Thus, people that avoid these activities are likely to be safe from vicious sharks.

One interesting fact about shark attacks is that they are most common during the month of September. Moreover, Florida is the state that experiences the most annual shark attacks. Shark attacks are most common in the United States, too. Between 1580 and 2022, 1,563 reported shark attacks occurred in America. Australia is the runner-up to the United States in shark attack instances. Even so, Australia does not record half the number of shark attacks reported by the United States. Rather, 682 reported shark attacks have occurred off the coast of Australia since 1580.